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micro super cub

So you may have noticed a couple of ads for some planes lately. This is one of those cross-overs that I think a lot of us bashers sort of secretly dabble in now and then. Wrench and I have been out with our resident super pilot 3DBill to try and fly now and then, and we all own at least one or two heli’s, so we figure we’d see if any of our readers have a interest in some flying as well. So expect a full review of the Micro Super Cub RTF to come shortly, but for now enjoy the pics.

Something worth mentioning. I never really thought about how light these things are till 3DBill pointed out the fact that WITH battery the plane weighs about the same as 5 quarters! That is mind blowing to me.

More pictures including the weigh in.. keep reading
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This just arrived on my doorstep, courtesy of the fine folks in the big, brown trucks. It’s Redcat Racing‘s latest vehicle, a Monsoon XTE, 1/8 scale brushless truggy. I thought I’d share some photos and info with all of you.

Inside the box you’ll find the big Monsoon XTE, nearly 100% assembled. You just need to put the wheels on and thread the antenna through the tube. A no-frills 2.4 GHz transmitter is included, along with two unbranded 2S LiPo batteries and a balance charger for those batteries. A small parts bag is also included, with a few shock clips and a couple other small replacement parts. The only tool in the box is a hex wrench for installing the wheels. You’ll also find the usual assortment of instruction manuals, parts catalogs, and other paperwork.

My first impression of the Monsoon XTE is that it’s a very substantial truck. The thick, aluminum chassis and numerous braces, along with the bulky a-arms and massive shock towers lead me to believe that this is going to be a tough truck. A ton of material has gone into it. But, just because something is made of a lot of materials, that doesn’t mean that those materials are high quality. So to test those materials we will be getting our bash on at the Big Squid RC Institute for Bashing — Rocky Mountain Region, test park, located in a highly secret location between many military installations. Our test park (which is rumored to be built over a UFO crash site and once served as an Army artillery range) is purpose built for bashing, featuring a whole lot humongous jumps, a giant table top/pyramid, and many, many roofs of varying heights to drive off. Not to mention open space galore for long jumps and fast speed runs.

Anyhow, have a look at the rest of the photos and keep an eye out for a full review, coming in the next few weeks. For more info about the Monsoon XTE, check out the Redcat Racing website.

Wednesday’s are usually pretty rough around here. Luckily, my Losi Mini 8IGHT was at home waiting for me after what seemed like an endless day, which was pretty surprising. So far, this thing looks and feels pretty sweet. Check out the unboxing pics, as well as a couple pics next to some other BSRC favorites so you can get a feel for the size.

As promised, here are the unboxing pics for our new ECX Torment! I’m really digging the look of this thing, and the new 2.4GHz radio is a huge plus! Stop by on Sunday and you may be lucky enough to win one from us at iHobby 2011!

Check out the ECX website for more info!

arrma raider

About a week ago we got our hands on the new vehicles from ARRMA. We have been all touchy-feely with them, and have just started our testing. It seemed like time to post up the unboxing pictures. I have to say that the pictures do not really do these vehicles justice, and they are very impressive in person. The Raider buggy has a really good feel in the hand, and a very polished look. There is a LOT jammed under that little body. The Fury Short Course truck may be ready to contend with the big boys. Watch for the reviews coming soon. For now, enjoy a few of our unboxing photos.

arrma Fury

Keep reading for a bunch more pictures…
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It’s here! It’s here it’s here it’s here! The HPI Savage XS Flux is here! Here are the unboxing pictures, including a pic of the XS Flux next to the Traxxas Stampede 4×4. Keep in mind that my ‘Pede 4×4 has the JConcepts body lowering kit with Pro-Line wheels and tires, so it is not quite the stock appearance. However, it does give you a good idea on the size.

There has been a lot of dispute online about the size of the battery box on the vehicle. I’ve included a pic of an SPC 4700mAh 2S Hard Case lipo going right in without any issues. The official size on that guy is 138.5mm long x 46mm wide x 24.5mm deep. It’s a good fit with JUST a little more room to spare. That seems like plenty of room to me.

The suspension feels very plush. Threaded shocks make it easy to adjust, too. The truck is crazy heavy for it’s size. It’s surprising when you first pick it up. I really would say more, but I’ve got to get a pack in this thing and drive it before my head explodes with excitement!

Oooh! I’ve been waiting quite a while for this… It’s time to unbox the HPI E10 Drift Monster Energy/Falken Tire Ford Mustang RTR! Avid readers of Evan’s 5:00 will know I’ve been looking for a reason to get into the RC drift scene, and this is it. For those of you lucky enough to make it out to BASH-A-PALOOZA 2011, you probably got to see Vaughn Gittin Jr. drive the full-size version of this bad boy in a series of drift ride-alongs and demos in the parking lot. Apparently, those demos have turned this into the hottest vehicle around and is a little hard to find in the Chicago area. Luckily, we were able to snatch one up and here it is in all of its unboxing glory. Before you even ask…YES…a review will be coming :)

Head over to HPI Racing for all the info and specs!

RUMOR HAS IT THAT ANOTHER HPI UNBOXING COULD HAPPEN EARLY NEXT WEEK! WANT A HINT? EXXXXXX…ESSSSS!!!

Thunder Tiger sent along one of their new KT8 Racing Karts for us to review. We first saw this thing back at IHobby 2010, in the Great Planes booth, and now we have our hands on it for review.  But it’s going to take a little time for that review to get written, so here’s some unboxing pics for you to stare at while you wait.

The full contents include the KT8 Kart, an Ace RC Cougar PS3 2.4 Ghz, 3 channel radio, a small pack of tools (hexes, 4-way) and some spare pieces, and a couple sheets of decals to customize your Kart a little bit; instruction manuals for the Kart, radio, ESC, and motor, and a separate maintenance and parts list manual.  Though it is RTR, you’ll have to supply your own battery and charger, the ESC supports 7.2v NiMHs and 2s or 3s LiPos in the 2/3A size packs (what you’d use for 1/18 scale cars and trucks).

Check the pics and hit up the Thunder Tiger website for more info.

Savage X 4.6
We just got the new HPI RTR Savage X 4.6, and of course we had to do an unboxing before we go beat up on it! Glad to see the 2.4Ghz radio as well as a ton of batteries for the radio, receiver and starter! We are looking forward to some nitro monster truck action! Enjoy the pics!

Hit the HPI Racing website for more info.

There’s been quite a bit of buzz about the updated version of the E-Firestorm Flux from HPI recently. Ever since Jeff posted some great pics of this redesigned stadium truck from RCX we have been dying to get our hands on one. Well, the wait is over! We’ve got the E-Firestorm Flux here for the official unboxing! I’m personally pretty excited to put this thing to the test, so stayed tuned because there may be a review in the future. It is also worth mentioning that with any new vehicle from HPI, that new car smell is just awesome :)

Losi TEN SCTE

Just recently we were talking about the new Losi TEN SCTE, but we have had our hands on one for a little bit now. It was time to get the unboxing pictures out of the way because the review is around the corner!

Electrix Ruckus

So we just got our Electrix RC Ruckus in the office for review. Seemed only appropriate to do our traditional unboxing photos. Quick first impression, the truck is geared towards the budget minded bashing crowd. It comes completely RTR with battery and it even has a extra set of radio crystals in case you end up on someone else’s channel. The only thing that worries me out of the box, that front bumper is looking small and hidden behind those big front wheels. Looking forward to putting it to the test, watch for a review in the near future!

Hit the Electrix RC website for more info.

Venom vmx 450

Today we got our Venom dirtbike, the VMX 450 Brushless RTR! The box is well done, nothing mind blowing, but better than average. When I first opened it up, it was actually bigger than I expected. We don’t see a lot of bikes in our area, just a couple now and then on the on-road track, but I think they are usually smaller.

First big surprise, the rider, AKA “Mini Cubby”, is made out of rubbery foam type material. Sort of like those stress balls you can pick up and squeeze. While this makes the rider look really cool, I am a little worried that a good bash session is going to tear him to pieces. Either way, for now he looks good!
Venom vmx 450 Venom vmx 450

The paint job is also well done. The pictures really don’t do it justice, even the ones on the official Venom site don’t look as cool as it does in person. The 4800kv brushless motor and ESC seem well protected, and I really like the way the battery hides up inside the front of the bike.

Venom vmx 450 Venom vmx 450

More pictures after the break. READ MORE